Guest Reception

The minimum wages for employees working in reception can be found here. These are minimum wages and include payment for necessary communication during shift changes, as well as preparation and wrap-up. This time is assumed to be up to 15 minutes per shift.

Daytime Work
In return for fixed monthly wages, employees shall work 38 hours and 45 minutes per week, or proportionally shorter if any of the holidays listed in Sections 2.3.1. and 2.3.2. in the general collective agreement fall during the week. Without refreshment breaks, it is 35 hours and 51 minutes of active work hours.

The daytime working period is from 8:00–17:00, Mondays to Fridays; daytime work may be begun earlier if the employer and employees agree on this. Nevertheless, each employee’s daytime work shall always be carried out in a continuous working period each day and shall never begin before 7:00.

Overtime work
Begins after the end of the daytime working period, i.e. after 7 hours and 45 minutes (7 hours and 10 minutes of active working time) during the period 7:00–17:00, Monday–Friday. 
If work is done during refreshment and meal breaks during daytime working hours, it shall be paid for at overtime rates.

Breaks should be equivalent to 5 minutes for every hour worked and should be scheduled according to an agreement between the employees and the employer. Breaks should generally be 15 minutes consecutively.

Work done during breaks will be compensated with overtime pay or by reducing the working hours accordingly.

Employees may be required to work shifts on any day of the week.

A shift may not be scheduled for longer than 12 hours or shorter than four hours. Each shift must be worked as one continuous period. 

As a general rule, shifts should be scheduled four weeks at a time, and the shift schedule must be posted in a place accessible to employees at least one week before work under the schedule begins. Each employee’s work arrangement must be specified in the employment contract and may not be changed except following notice of termination or by mutual agreement. If employees are required to work throughout the year, including all days of the year, they shall accrue winter leave days. See the section on winter leave below.

Supplements on daytime wages shall be paid for that part of the 38.75 hours (38:45 hours, was 39:30 hours prior to shortened working hours) of work on average per week falling outside the daytime work period 8:00–17:00 Monday to Friday as follows:

• 33% for the period 17:00–24:00, Monday–Friday. 
• 45% for the period 00:00–8:00 every day and also at weekends.

Supplements for work done on public holidays, i.e. Maundy Thursday, Easter Monday, the First Day of Summer, 1 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday and Boxing Day, shall carry a 45% supplement (as the employee gets a winter holiday).

Supplements for work done on major public holidays, i.e. New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Day, Whit Sunday, 17 June, the August Bank Holiday, Christmas Eve after 12:00, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve after 12:00, shall carry a 90% supplement (as the employee gets a winter holiday).

Overtime pay is paid for all work in excess of 38.75 hours on average for shift work per week and is calculated at 1.0385% of the monthly salary. For work during the period 17:00–8:00, overtime is paid in excess of 37.25 hours.

Refreshment breaks shall be equivalent to 5 minutes for each hour worked and shall be divided as agreed by the employer and employee. When scheduling refreshment breaks, they should be a minimum of 15 continuous minutes. Work done during refreshment breaks shall be paid for at overtime rates or shall result in a corresponding shortening of working hours.

Night shifts can be scheduled for 7 consecutive days with a 7-day shift leave in between as agreed by the relevant parties. This is the only deviation from Article 2.4 in the general collective wage agreement. If work is performed exclusively in shifts at least five days a week between 17:00 and 08:00, the working week shall be 37 hours and 15 minutes.

Those who do shift work and are obliged to work on defined public holidays and major public holidays according to the collective wage agreement that fall from Monday to Friday earn 12 winter holiday days per year (96 compulsory working hours based on full-time employment). See holidays below.

As of 1 January 2020, earned winter holiday days off will be 94.2 working hours based on a full-time position due to the shortening of working hours.

The right is based on the fact that the working year of shift workers is being equated with day workers who deliver their working week during the daywork period from Monday to Friday.

Thus, an employee who works every weekday gets a holiday on defined public holidays and major public holidays according to the collective wage agreement but still gets paid daytime work for those days even if they are not worked. An employee who does shift work is obliged to work on these holidays and therefore does not receive a holiday, but in return, they collect winter holidays as a leave to take later, which they would otherwise have received if they had not been doing shift work.

The accumulation of winter holidays is based on work from October to October each year, but they must be taken in the period from 1 October to 1 May each year. It should be noted that the accumulation of winter holidays is not one day for each month worked. This is a common misunderstanding since there are 12 holiday days, the same number as months in a year. What is correct is that winter holidays are earned based on the number of public holidays in each working month, which makes a total of 12 days a year. Thus, an employee who only works three months, e.g. April, May and June, can earn 7 winter holiday days based on the year 2021, while another employee who works for three months, e.g. September, October and November, does not earn any holidays.

If the workplace is closed on the days referred to above, or if days off are granted, then the corresponding number of days shall be deducted from the additional winter holiday days, except in the case of employees who are owed accumulated leave related to shift work. 

If the winter holidays have not been used at retirement, they shall be settled with the standard wages along with annual holiday pay.

Public holidays are Maundy Thursday, Easter Monday, first Day of Summer, May 1st, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Boxing Day
Major public holidays are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday, June 17th, The August Bank Holiday (First Monday in August), Christmas Day, after 12 noon on Christmas Eve, after 12 noon on New Year’s Eve.

The annual holiday of guest reception workers is the same as in the general collective wage agreement, i.e. a minimum of 24 annual holiday days based on an entire holiday year. See all further information here (and link with https://www.vr.is/kjaramal/orlofsrettur/). Since many people do shift work, e.g. as a 2-2-3 work arrangement, it is possible to simplify the calculation of managing used annual holiday days by counting only “their” working days. Thus, 16.8 shifts is equivalent to 24 annual holiday days, because 24 annual holiday days refers to weekdays.

The 24-day annual holiday entitlement is comparable to 16.8 shifts based on 2-2-3 shift arrangements.
The 25-day annual holiday entitlement is comparable to 17.5 shifts based on 2-2-3 shift arrangements.
The 27-day annual holiday entitlement is comparable to 18.9 shifts based on 2-2-3 shift arrangements.
The 28-day annual holiday entitlement is comparable to 19.6 shifts based on 2-2-3 shift arrangements.
The 30-day annual holiday entitlement is comparable to 21 shifts based on 2-2-3 shift arrangements.